Steam rose from the train as Hermione and Ron Weasley pushed through the crowded Kings Cross station, searching for Harry Potter. Their daughter, Rose, rushed ahead with her brother, their red heads bobbing in the sea of witches and wizards.
"Hey! Hermione! Ron!" Harry shouted out when he spotted the group of gingers.
"Harry!" Hermione rushed ahead to greet him. Albus stood next to his father, twirling his wand carelessly between two fingers and glancing around the station. James and Lily sat at their feet, feeding seeds to Lily's new owl.
"Hey, Al, how are you?" Ron patted Albus on the back as he reached his friend. "Ready for another year at school?"
Albus shrugged nonchalantly, "I guess."
"What about you, James? Taking O.W.L.s this year, aren't you?"
"Unfortunately." James sighed from the cement floor. He looked down at his watch, "We should get on the train, it leaves in a minute."
"Al!" A voice called from behind them. A white-blonde head appeared in the crowd as Scorpius Malfoy made his way towards Albus. Rose smiled at the pale skinned boy, then yelped as her father elbowed her. Ron scowled as young Scorpius was followed by Draco Malfoy.
"Well, if it isn't the Potter's and Weasley's back for another year at Hogwarts." Draco droned, smirking at Ron's hateful stare.
Harry watched as Albus and Scorpius walked towards the train together, laughing and flicking their wands in the air, talking about a new spell Albus had learned. Their friendship had always come as a surprise to him, but he'd learned to accept it over the past three years. Ron, however, had not.
"How can you let him hang out with that kid?" Ron asked as Draco walked away to say goodbye to his son. "You know he'll end up just like his father, a foul git!"
"You can't say that, he seems different. I think Malfoy's trying to make him a better person than he was." Harry said, still watching Al and Scorpius disappear down the train tracks. "You agree, don't you, Hermione?"
"Well, he does like to make trouble..." Hermione admitted, "Remember that explosion in their second year? Al and him almost got Rose expelled!"
"Come on, they were just having fun!" Harry exclaimed, though he knew Hermione was right.
"As long as Rose doesn't join them, I'm fine with it." Hermione shrugged.
"Fine. Well, I have to get home, Ginny's making dinner. Do you guys want to come over?" Harry asked, trying to change the subject.
"Sure, we'd –"
"POTTER!"
Harry turned just as Draco pushed him up against the station wall and punched him in the face. Hermione screamed and helped Harry from the floor as Ron tried to pull Draco off of him.
"Get off of me!" Draco screeched, straining against Ron's grasp, "I'll get you for this one, Potter!"
"What are you talking about, Malfoy?" Harry asked, "I didn't do anything!"
"You can't go teaching your son those kinds of spells! You know what it can do!" Draco pulled himself out of Ron's hands and stood over Harry, his face contorted.
Harry stared up at the pale face, wiping blood from his nose and holding his wand beneath his robes.
"Sectumsempra." Malfoy breathed, "You taught it to him, didn't you?"
"No!" Harry exclaimed. "I'd never do that! Why would I ever want anyone to have to go through the same pain you felt or the fear I did?"
Malfoy glared at Harry. "Please. You don't care. You'd like to see my son bleeding on the bathroom floor one day!"
He moved toward Harry again, but Hermione stood between them.
"Stop it, Draco, this is ridiculous." She urged, "Calm down."
"No one asked your opinion, you filthy little mudblood." He sneered.
Hermione's eyes widened as Ron and Harry both lunged at Malfoy. Before she could stop them, Teddy Lupin ran over and put himself between their fight.
Harry and Draco glared at each other. Then, Draco turned and stalked away.
Hermione looked from Ron to Harry. "You know, you can't go attacking everyone that makes you angry. Your glasses are broken, Harry."
Harry looked at the ground where Hermione was pointing and realized that his glasses had been knocked off. He picked them off the floor and fixed them on his face.
"Oculus Reparo!" Hermione flicked her wand and the glasses instantly repaired themselves.
"Thanks." Harry said, attempting to cover the blood stains across his shirt. "I don't know what Malfoy's talking about. I didn't teach Albus that spell. Where'd he even get that idea? Did he hear Al talking about it?"
"Don't worry about it, Harry. Even if Albus did know the spell, I'm sure he wouldn't use it to hurt anyone."
"But where would he have learned it?" Harry whispered to himself. He didn't think he'd written it down, it couldn't be in any of the books as school, unless Al had managed to find it... but it had to have been burnt in the fire...